November

Drexel University has named Dr. Joseph B. Hughes, the Karen and John Huff School chair and professor of civil, environmental and materials science engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, as dean of the University’s College of Engineering. Drexel President John A. Fry has announced that Hughes will begin his tenure at Drexel on January 15, 2012.

Solving the mystery of prematurely dead cell phone and laptop batteries may prove to be a vital step toward creating a sustainable energy grid according to Drexel researcher Dr. Yury Gogotsi. In a piece published in the November 18 edition of Science, Gogotsi, who is the head of the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute, calls for a new, standardized gauge of performance measurement for energy storage devices that are as small as those used in cell phones to as large as those used in the national energy grid.

Three years after its first officers were deployed, the Drexel University Police Department (DUPD) has earned accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), becoming one of only 10 law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania and one of 51 colleges and universities nationwide to receive the prestigious recognition of public safety professional excellence.

Drexel University has partnered with Zipcar, Inc., the world’s leading car-sharing network, to offer a Zipcar car-sharing program on campus. The cost-effective and convenient transportation option is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all students ages 18 and older, as well as faculty and professional staff members.

The Jenzabar Foundation recently announced that the weServe and Alternative Spring Break programs at Drexel are the recipients of the 2011 Student Leadership Awards, which recognize student campus groups and projects that have made a significant contribution to better the world.

Drexel University’sDr. Banu Onaral has been bringing together leaders in technology and industry for years as an H.H. Sun professor and the director of the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems. Her visionary work to further international collaborations for translational research and technology transfer were recognized by the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce on November 15 as the AICC opened its Healthcare Information Technology Conference.

Dr. Jon Gelhaus, an evolutionary biologist at the Academy, recently received the “Best Scientist in Nature and Environment” medal from the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism through the Mongolian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

In a new research paper that investigates social networks, informed trading and shareholder costs Drexel University LeBow College of Business professors conclude that the social ties of executives and directors to Wall Street can be quite costly to their shareholders.

Drexel University has named Dr. Sandra G. Kirschenmann, vice chancellor of resource development for Los Rios Community College District, as executive director of the Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies, announced Drexel President John A. Fry. She will begin her tenure at Drexel on December 12, and report to Provost Mark Greenberg.

Two faculty members from Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions have published a new book about the use of standardized patient simulation in nursing and health professions – an area in which Drexel has been a national leader.

A safe working environment for nurses is also a safe environment for the patients in their care, according to a new study led by public health researchers at Drexel University, published online in BMJ Quality and Safety in October.

WPSG-TV (The CW Philly 57) has announced that it will air “OFF CAMPUS,” a sitcom produced by students in Drexel’s Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, as part of its programming this fall. All three seasons, including the premiere of season three, of the all-student production will air on The CW Philly from November 5-26.

In an effort to build real connections between Drexel and the West Philadelphia community, Drexel and UCD have developed a 14-week program that provides paid technical skills training, professional development training, mentoring by seasoned medical professionals, career development and job coaching services, and job opportunities through Drexel University College of Medicine.